On Monday, Aug. 31, border authorities barred the archbishop of Minsk, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz from returning to Belarus after a trip to Poland.
TADEUSZ KONDRUSIEWICZ
Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev (Belarus)
“I asked what was the reason—why—and they told me: ‘No comment.’”
Belarus has seen a wave of protests following the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years. Protesters have been calling for a transparent election.
Rising tensions prompted Pope Francis to turn his thoughts to the country during the Angelus prayer on Aug. 16.
POPE FRANCIS
“I am closely following the post-electoral situation in this country, and I call for dialogue, the rejection of violence and respect for justice and the law.”
The Catholic archbishop has been making appeals to both sides of the conflict to turn to peaceful dialogue to resolve the issue.
TADEUSZ KONDRUSIEWICZ
Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev (Belarus)
“But it didn't happen so far. So now I'm asking people, especially my country—Catholics, also people of other faiths—for prayer, to resolve the problem, and also for prayer to resolve the problem, that I could have a chance to come back home and to serve as a bishop for my faithful.”
The archbishop says a spirit of solidarity, prayer and forgiveness is essential to overcoming the worrying situation. He continues to wait for a response from Belorussian border authorities.
